Pesto Vegetables with Pasta

Ok, this would look a whole lot less weird with tri-color rotelli.  I had macaroni.  The point I was trying to make was that this is a vegetable dish, not a pasta one.  Plus bacon, because...bacon.

It also uses only half a cup of pesto for the whole pot.  It was all I had left, and I was kind of wondering if it would be enough.  It absolutely was, because you could taste both the pesto and every other ingredient in the dish.  More would have drowned out the pile of veggies that inspired the whole thing.

I forgot to buy an onion, and subbed in celery.  The herbiness of it came through, and I ended up liking it better than if I had used onion, so it's going in the recipe.

I finally get to showcase my new meal bowls!  The old pasta set served me well, but I wanted something smaller that would look good in a picture.  I'm also saying goodbye to the soup crocks, which get out once a year at the most.  I can use a regular cereal/soup bowl for soups.  These meal bowls will be good for stews, pasta, curries, and salads.  Plus, they go with my other dishes.

1 Tb olive oil
*1 C diced celery (about 3 ribs)
*2 cloves garlic, sliced
*4 C chopped kale or spinach
8 oz button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
*1 C artichoke hearts, quartered
1 dry pint grape tomatoes
*4 strips cooked, thick-cut bacon
*1/2 C pesto
*4 oz pasta of choice (1 C small piece for salad-style, strand if you want this spaghetti-style)
*Parmesan and/or pine nuts for garnish, optional

1.  Heat the oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat.  Add the celery and cook until slightly softened, 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant.

2.  While that's happening, start a medium sized pot of water boiling for the pasta.

3.  Add the mushrooms to the celery pot and start cooking them down, 5-8 minutes.  If using kale, add it with the mushrooms.  If using spinach, it goes in at the end.  Around now, the pasta water should be boiling, so stir in the pasta to that and get it on a low boil.

4.  Add artichokes and tomatoes to the mushroom mix and put a lid on the pot while the pasta is cooking.  For me, that turned out to be the magical point where the tomatoes taste cooked, but are still firm as though they are fresh.  While both pots are going, chop the bacon into bacon bits.

5.  Remove the cooked pasta from the heat and drain.  Stir bacon and pesto into the veggies (and spinach, if using) until the pesto is evenly distributed, then stir in the pasta.

6.  Spoon mixture into bowls (or refrigerate to serve cold).  Garnish with Parmesan and pine nuts, if using.

Difficulty rating  :)